China's AI Industry Exceeds 1 Trillion Yuan, Token Usage Surges 140-Fold in Two Years

At WAIC 2026 (July 17-20, Shanghai), Chinese officials disclosed key data: AI industry surpassed 1 trillion yuan in 2025, with 30%+ growth projected for 2026.

Key data: Daily token calls grew from 100 billion (early 2024) to 100 trillion (end 2025) to 140 trillion (March 2026) — a 1,400-fold increase. 300+ products debuted: Huawei Atlas 950, MiniMax M3, AI smartphones, humanoid robots. 1,100+ exhibitors, 3,000+ exhibits. 9 Turing/Nobel laureates attended. 57 core AI scenarios deployed with 16.2 billion yuan in intended cooperation. AI penetration exceeded 80% in key industries.

Why this matters: The token usage explosion from 100 billion to 140 trillion daily calls in just over two years signals AI adoption accelerating across the Chinese economy. The 1 trillion yuan milestone and 80%+ penetration rate indicate AI is moving from experimental to mainstream infrastructure.